You know what they say: your 20s are for making mistakes. This brutal yet somehow still fun-loving decade teaches us some of the most difficult lessons. Most 20-somethings find comfort in the idea that “Now is the time to screw up!”
Often, this makes becoming a 30-something feel like the ultimate wake-up call.
If our 20s are for experimenting and learning, our 30s are for finding more solid grounding. But if you’re not where you thought you’d be by this age, you might struggle with comparison or even isolation from those around you.
Of course, I like to think that 30 is still young, and we never really stop growing. But if you’re feeling the pressure from society to “settle down” or “get your sh-t together,” well, you’re certainly not alone.
Here are three books for 30-somethings who feel behind in life.
1. The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle is a gentle, grounding self-help/spirituality book that highlights the importance of the present moment. Our journeys are unique, and there is no specific timeline or mold you must abide by or fit into. Tolle reminds us not to lead with ego, but rather with a deep appreciation and awareness of our paths.
What I loved most about this book is that it’s structured through a series of common existential questions and elaborate, empathic answers. I’d recommend it to anyone who feels behind in life, so they might learn they’re exactly where they need to be.
“To make the journey into The Power of Now, we will need to leave our analytical mind and its false created self, the ego, behind. From the very first page of Eckhart Tolle’s extraordinary book, we move rapidly into a significantly higher altitude where we breathe a lighter air,” its synopsis reads. “We become connected to the indestructible essence of our Being, ‘The eternal, ever present One Life beyond the myriad forms of life that are subject to birth and death.’”
2. First Witches Club by Maisey Yates
From the first chapter, I fell head-over-heels in love with First Witches Club by Maisey Yates. This cozy fantasy novel has everything you could possibly need in a book: womanhood, witchiness, and—of course—romance.
The book follows three women who were equally betrayed by their husbands, whether through infidelity or emotional neglect. Seemingly starting over in their mid-30s after spending years relying on their spouses for support, the women find solace and sisterhood in one another, learning it’s never too late to start fresh and find your true calling.
As Goodreads puts it, “When three betrayed wives stumble into a magical apothecary shop, they discover that revenge is sweet—but finding true love and their own power is even sweeter in this witty, romantic novel about second chances from New York Times bestselling author Maisey Yates.”
3. Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton
Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton is a must-read for anyone in their late 20s/early 30s, trying to make sense of the world around them. The memoir follows writer Dolly Alderton’s messy, honest, and deeply relatable journey through young adulthood, including heartbreak, loss, friendship, and love, reminding us that we’re not alone in our personal struggles.
“When it comes to the trials and triumphs of becoming an adult, journalist and former Sunday Times columnist Dolly Alderton has seen and tried it all,” the synopsis reads. “In her memoir, she vividly recounts falling in love, finding a job, getting drunk, getting dumped, realizing that Ivan from the corner shop might just be the only reliable man in her life, and that absolutely no one can ever compare to her best girlfriends. Everything I Know About Love is about bad dates, good friends and—above all else—realizing that you are enough.”
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